And They're Off! (The 2008 GOP handicapping begins)

The Weekly Standard ^ | January 31, 2005 | Duncan Currie

[Liberty Valance]

Colin Powell

[Verginius Rufus]

Powell is eligible, but I don't think he wants to put himself through the primaries, and might not do all that well with the kind of people who are likely to vote in the Republican primaries (since he's more a Democrat than a Republican in many areas).

Sen. Brownback was touted in a piece in The Weekly Standard some time back...but he's virtually unknown at this point.

[ntnychik]

From David Gregory's recent interview with Karl Rove:

Gregory: Where is Karl Rove on Election Night 2008?

Rove: I'm, hopefully, sitting in the private quarters of the White House handing the phone to the president of the United States for him to congratulate his Republican successor.

Gregory: Will you work for another candidate?

Rove: No, not for president.

Google Karl Rove 2008 for the whole interview.

[gop_gene]

(do we really want a president named "mitt"?)

He's a good enough looking guy that he could get away with having a name like "Chip" or "Skippy." I'd rather have him anyday than someone like the conventionally-named (dreadfully common if you ask me) Frankenstein horse-faced Kerry.

[BlackbirdSST]

Man, this thread needs a RINO Stampede alert. Tancredo or 3rd Party. Blackbird.

[Conservativegreatgrandma]

The only ones I would even consider are George Allen and Jeb Bush.

I like these, too. Do you think Allen can make it? Senators don't have a good track record and Jeb says he doesn't want it.

I am an activist in Iowa and I don't see how any of the others will appeal to the conservatives here. If we are to assume that a candidate has to be among the top three to survive Iowa, we have to have a better field.

[oceanview]

its the right that wants to disqualify Rudy over his "messy" divorce. Almost all men who divorce, have a girlfriend, let's not be naive about this. He could have been more discreet, but its kind of hard to do when the manhattan press is chasing you around the city with cameras, and when your soon to be ex-wife gets alot of media attention to trash talk you.

[Conservativegreatgrandma]

There's more to it than that. He's also pro-abortion, pro-homosexuality, and pro-gun control, plus other things. Why, come to think about it, is he a Republican?

[NorCoGOP]

* Bill Owens. Colorado's governor once seemed a prime candidate. Conservatives loved him. He had taken on a bevy of Democratic interest groups and emerged triumphant. A September 2002 National Review cover story proclaimed Owens "America's Best Governor." Several months later, he pushed through a landmark school-voucher bill. Since then, however, Owens separated from his wife of almost 30 years. And in the 2004 election, Colorado Republicans took a thrashing, losing both houses of the state legislature. Owens can claim a slew of conservative feats. But he lacks a fundraising base, and his '08 prospects seem to be fading.

Duncan also forgets his biggest blunder, at least in the eyes of at least the Colorado GOP: pulling out the rug under Schaffer to back Pete Coors, simply because of the bottom line Coors had to bring to the Senate race.

Too many Colorado GOP members will simply never forgive him...hence many of the "boos" he received when introduced at the Colorado Republican State Convention this year.

[Paladin2]

Looks like you are correct, though Nixon was only a Senator for 2 years. I didn't remember that. I didn't remember that he was a veteran either.

It would also seem that he really didn't have a great deal of true administrative experience. That could have contributed to his problems.

******************

The nation's thirty-seventh chief executive is most often remembered for the political scandal that marred his presidency. Here are some lesser-known facts about Nixon, before and after his time in the White House:

* Nixon grew up the second of five sons and was raised as a Quaker. His mother's family had been active in the Society of Friends(Quaker) religion for two hundred years.

* He graduated third in his class from Duke University law school in 1937.

* While in law school, Nixon showed interest in a career with the F.B.I.

* Nixon's first job was in a law firm in Whittier, CA, the town in which his alma mater, Whittier College, was located.

* While at work in Whittier and the neighboring town of La Habra, Nixon was active in a local amateur theater group.

* In 1942, Nixon joined the navy and served with the Naval Air Transport for the bulk of the war. Immediately after being discharged from the navy at the end of the war, Nixon ran for his first elected position. He won a seat in the House of Representatives, from California's 12th district in 1946.

* While a member of congress, Nixon served on the House Un-American Activities Committee (a rare assignment for a freshman congressman) and was active in the prosecution of Alger Hiss for alleged communist activities.

* After two terms in the House of Representatives, Nixon ran for a senate seat and easily defeated popular liberal Democrat Helen Gahagan Douglas.

* Nixon had less than two years experience in the Senate when he was chosen to run for vice-president on Dwight Eisenhower's ticket. When they won, he became the second youngest vice-president in history.

* In his two terms as vice-president, Nixon visited fifty-six countries. He was the target of hostile protesters during a 1958 visit to Peru and Venezuela and engaged in the "kitchen debate" with Soviet Premier Nikita Krushchev.

* Nixon lost his first bid for president to John F. Kennedy in 1960. After the loss, he returned to California and worked for a Los Angeles law firm while writing his memoirs, Six Crises(1962).

* After losing a 1962 gubernatorial campaign in California, Nixon moved to New York City where he began work with a Wall Street law firm.

* Nixon's youngest daughter, Julie, married President Dwight Eisenhower's grandson, David Eisenhower in 1968. * In 1972, Nixon easily won re-election in his presidential race, but the Democrats won control of both houses of congress.

* In 1974, the House Judiciary Committee advised that Nixon be impeached for his role in covering up the Watergate affair, abuse of power, and his refusal to honor subpoenas issued by the committee.

* Gerald Ford was sworn in after Nixon resigned on August 8, 1974. Ford pardoned him on September 8, 1974, for any federal crimes he may have committed during his presidency.

[mountainfolk]

Rudy disqualified himself. That is the political reality and not a judgment on my part. He is twice divorced. Married to first wife 14 years. Second one about the same. Then there have been rumors of affairs in between and during this time. I doubt that it is only the right that frowns on such a history of impermanence. Hillary stayed with Bill because even her crowd prefers a married dalliance to divorce. I personally like Rudy but he is damaged goods as far as being electable to the presidency. Just my opinion.

[firewalk]

.

[PhiKapMom]

I agree with you on Romney! Not going to fly well in the southern part of the Country.

[PhiKapMom]

Senator Allen was Governor Allen from Virginia before running for the Senate. So he has the Executive experience.

[PhiKapMom]

Have you ever heard of two words? Executive Orders which is how Clinton governed and they are almost impossible to overturn after they posted in the archives.

That is why even John McCain is much better than Hillary.

[PhiKapMom]

Senator Allen was the conservative governor of Virginia before going to the Senate. Having heard him speak, he will appeal to middle America. He has been my #1 choice for months.

[oceanview]

Reagan was divorced. Bush had a drinking problem.